Catheter assemblies for hydrophilic catheters, including a wetting fluid for wetting and activation of the hydrophilic catheter before use have been known for over a decade. In one type of such products the wetting fluid is initially kept separate from the hydrophilic surface, and released immediately prior to use, thereby activating the hydrophilic surface. In another type of such products, the wetting fluid is arranged in such a way that the hydrophilic surface is maintained constantly wetted, and thereby ready for immediate use.
The provision of the wetting fluid in the catheter assembly entails many advantages. For example, there is no need to find a water supply, and catheterization can constantly be performed in any location and at any time. Further, the entire wetting process can be performed under sterile conditions, without opening of the package.
However, a drawback with such catheter assemblies is that the products are relatively large and heavy and expensive to produce. In order to ensure a proper wetting, a substantial amount of wetting fluid is required, and in most products of this type, the wetting fluid in itself forms a substantial part of the overall weight of the product. Further, the provision of large volumes of wetting fluid complicates the production, e.g. requiring larger doses of radiation for sterilization, and also makes logistics more complicated and expensive.
Consequently, there has for several years been a strive to develop catheter assemblies of this type requiring more limited amounts of wetting fluid. Such attempts are e.g. disclosed in EP 1 023 882, WO 2006/092150 and EP 2 106 821. However, these products still require relatively large amounts of wetting fluid in order to ensure adequate wetting, and the proposed products are relatively complex, thereby increasing the manufacturing costs.
Further, there have been attempts to reduce the amount of wetting fluid by proposing complex wetting procedures, where a limited amount of wetting fluid is moved back and forth in order to entail a proper wetting. Such solutions are e.g. disclosed in US 2005/0109648 and US 2004/0074794. However, these methods of wetting are relatively complicated, making the wetting process tedious and difficult to perform by e.g. disabled users. Further, there is a significant risk that an inadequate wetting would occur from time to time, which would be both painful and potentially harmful for the user.
There is therefore still a need for a hydrophilic catheter assembly ensuring an adequate wetting and which is less large and heavy and/or less easier and less costly to produce and distribute.